1. General symptoms: fatigue, weight loss, and prolonged fever, which is not due to any infectious process.

2. Joint and muscle symptoms: 90% of patients with lupus have pain and inflammation of the joints (arthritis). The most affected are the fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, and feet. It is common for the patient to notice joint stiffness in the morning.

3. Skin: The best-known lesion, although not the most frequent, is “butterfly erythema,” which consists of a redness and rash of the skin on the cheeks and nose. Skin lesions in lupus appear anywhere on the body and generally do not cause discomfort.

4. Heart and lungs: Lupus inflames the lining membranes of the heart (pericardium) and lungs (pleura), which causes pericarditis and pleuritis. Both processes have similar symptoms: chest pain and sometimes fever.

5. Kidney: The most frequent lesion is inflammation (nephritis). Blood urea increases, and proteins or blood appear in the urine. Kidney damage is asymptomatic, sometimes manifesting as fatigue or high blood pressure.

6. Brain: It is practically impossible to know how often the brain is affected in lupus.

7. Infections: Lupus patients are sensitive to infections.

8. Antiphospholipid syndrome: It is characterized by the appearance of thrombosis, repeated miscarriages and hematological alterations (thrombopenia or hemolytic anemia), associated with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA). The best known APAs are anticardiolipin antibodies and lupus anticoagulant.

Lupus erythematosus is difficult to diagnose. Diagnosis is based on the patient's symptoms, physical examination and blood tests.

Blood tests often show lower than normal white blood cell, lymphocyte and platelet counts.

Almost 100% of patients have antinuclear antibodies; when they are negative, the disease is practically ruled out.

There are other autoantibodies that are more specific to lupus, such as anti-DNA or anti-Sm antibodies, whose presence confirms the diagnosis. The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies also helps diagnose lupus.

General advice

Patients with lupus can lead a normal life from a family, work and social point of view.

It is advisable to carry out activities such as walking, swimming or cycling, to prevent muscle weakness.

Normal activities should be alternated with periods of rest, to control fatigue.

Medical treatment

Anti-inflammatory drugs. They relieve the pain of arthritis and can suppress other mild symptoms, such as muscle pain and some pleurisy or pericarditis.

Corticosteroids. They continue to be the most important drugs to control many of the symptoms that appear in lupus. Virtually all complications of this disease are susceptible to being treated successfully with corticosteroids.

Antimalarials. These drugs are used in lupus to treat arthritis, some skin lesions and when there are pleural and pericardial symptoms.

Immunosuppressants. The most commonly used are azathioprine and cyclophosphamide. These drugs are only used when there are significant complications of the disease, especially in the kidney.

Living with lupus can be difficult, but it's important to stay positive. There are several things you can do to help you cope with lupus. Working with your doctor and taking your medications as directed is a good way to begin managing your disease. You may feel sad or angry at times, but keep in mind that many people with lupus lead fulfilling, productive lives. Generally, most people with a mild case of the disease, or who are in remission, can participate in the same daily activities as they did before their diagnosis.